Author's Notes: Well, this came out
of nowhere. It simply appeared on my screen in a puff of smoke and
with some accompanying calypso music. I'm not quite sure what to make
of it, but I posted it anyhow because, well, it made me
laugh.

Yes, this little bit of fluff was
partially inspired by ellbee's very fun "Conversation With a
Door", I will freely admit that. I will also freely admit that
none of the characters are mine, even though I mention none of them
directly, since there is no narration, only dialogue! Mwaha! Right,
then. On with the story.

Information on fox-hunting gathered
from http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/foxman/ Please note that this is a
pro-Hunt website and if that offends you, don't pay Foxman a call.

~

"Hey--she's, uh, she's quite a
rider."

"I should say so, old man. Been
doing it since she was born, practically."

"Yeah?"

"Horses, of course, not camels.
Evie's been falling off them since before she could walk. We both had
lessons growing up, but she took to it far more than I. Loves
animals--horses, dogs, that imbecile cat of hers... 'Course, I'll
never forget that time she crashed the hunt."

"Yes. Well. When Evie was about
fourteen, she decided the tradition was rather barbaric. I suppose
she had a point, although at the time I could have throttled the
little beast... I should have known something was amiss when she
begged and pleaded with me to bring her along. Pretended she was
sincerely interested in the hunt, the little brat. Then she charged
ahead of the field master and snatched up the fox just as it was
being run to ground. God only knows what she did with the wretched
animal once she'd got it, I seem to recall that it bit her at least
once... In any case, the afternoon was ruined. I was shunned by my
fellows, and we were both politely asked not to participate in any
more sporting activities."

"You're making that up."

"On my honour bright, my good son!
Just you ask her about it. Although be prepared for her to bend your
ear about how cruel your average sporting chap is to the dear little
woodland creatures."

"Maybe I'll do that."

~~

"Mister
O'Connell?"

"You can call
me Rick, you know."

"Why would I
want to do that?"

"Uh, 'cause
it's my name?"

"Thank you, no.
I don't think I know you well enough for that."

"Can I call you
Evelyn?"

"I suppose you
will in any case."

"Yeah,
probably. Maybe I'll call you Evie."

"You're welcome
to try, but I won't answer to it."

"We'll see...
okay. Evelyn it is. So, Evelyn, what's on your mind?"

"My brother
says you wagered five hundred dollars against those rude Americans
that we would be the first ones to the city. Is that true?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you
going to get five hundred dollars, Mister O'Connell? Because I--"

"I won't need
to get it. We're gonna win."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's
so."

"Well, for your
sake, sir, I sincerely hope you're right."

"Are you
warning me again?"

"Oh, push off."

~~

"Has she always
been such a...?"

"Stubborn
brat?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, don't mind
Evie. She's only being so disagreeable because, truth be known, she
fancies you."

"She--what?"

"Likes you. She
likes you, old chum. In that special way a young girl has."

"She told you
that?"

"Didn't have
to, it's written across her face for all the world to see. She bought
that dress for you, my good man. I've known her forever, and I've
never seen her wear anything like that."

"Huh."

"I wouldn't
look so worried about it, O'Connell. It's only an innocent little
schoolgirl crush. She's probably written your initials and hers
together in her notebook with little hearts around them. Evie's
always been a bit of a late bloomer in regards to matters of
romance."

"Really?
Looking like that?"

"Who's to see
her, cooped up in that stuffy library all the time? Besides, women
are never accurate judges of their own looks. That's why they need
us, old man."

"If you say
so."

"I say, you
will be decent about it, won't you? Don't take advantage of
her, that sort of thing."

"Not at all. In
fact, I'd completely forgotten, until you brought it up."

"Bullshit."

"You have a lot
to learn about how to speak to a lady, Mister O'Connell."

"I know why
you're mad, too. It was probably your first kiss. Now, every time you
kiss someone, you'll be thinking about me."

"I sincerely
doubt that."

"I don't know
what you're so sore about, anyway. A condemned man's entitled to a
last meal, isn't he?"

"Must we
discuss this? You've made your point. It was nothing personal. Any
port in a storm. One last hurrah. Just a mousy librarian, but she'll
do in a pinch. If I hadn't been there, you might have kissed Jonathan
instead!"

"Whoa, hang on
a second--"

"I refuse to
discuss the matter further, Mister O'Connell."

~~

"Everything all
right, old mum? You're all red in the face. Are you drinking enough
water?"

"I'm fine."

"Has O'Connell
been pestering you?"

"I'm fine,
Jonathan, really."

"Well, I must
say that's a relief. I'm all for defending your honour, but he's
rather a large man, and I'm liable to get my nose broken if I do
anything rash."

"Look, do shut
up. He can hear you."

"I say, have
you named your mount yet? I think I'm going to call mine Duchess,
she's got rather a regal air. I daresay she reminds me a bit of
Elizabeth, especially about the--aha! Look at that, Duchess, a smile
from Evie. That's better."

"Idiot."

"Careful, my
girl--your face will stick that way if the wind changes."

"Is that how
yours got the way it is?"

"Oh, ha. I'll
have you off there in a minute, Your Nibs. See how high and mighty
you are with a snoot full of sand."

"Just you try
it."

"Don't tempt
me. Hmph. Bloody cheek."

"Jonathan..."

"Yes, sis?"

"Thank you."

"Think nothing
of it."

~~

"Evelyn?"

"For goodness'
sake, what do you want now?"

"I'm sorry,
okay?"

"What for?"

"For earlier.
Also, I wouldn't kiss your brother if I was dying of the plague and
he was the cure."

"I'm sure he'll
sleep more soundly knowing that to be the case. Good night, Mister
O'Connell."

"Evie...?"

"Yes?"

"Heh. Gotcha."

"Good night,
Mister O'Connell."

~~

"Mister
O'Connell?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you... did
you hear that?"

"Yeah. Just a
jackal. Did it wake you up?"

"Yes. Had I
been sleeping long?"

"Couple hours."

"There it is
again! Do you think it's very close?"

"Nah. We won't
even see it. Your brother's snoring'll scare it off if it gets
curious."

"It sounded
awfully like a person... and so mournful."

"Maybe he
accidentally insulted a girl jackal, and he's trying to apologize.
Only she won't accept his apology. He probably feels bad about what
he said, and wishes he could take it back."

"It's very dark
out here, isn't it? I don't think I've ever seen so many stars in my
life. If only it weren't cloudy, we could see them all."

"Fine, ignore
me."

"I... I forgive
you, Mister O'Connell."

"Would you just
call me Rick, already?"

"I don't think
so. Not yet."

"Not yet?"

"No."

"But soon?"

"Perhaps. Do
you know the stars, Mister O'Connell? The constellations?"

"A couple."

"Would you like
to learn?"

"Sure."

~~

"Do you really
think we'll win your silly bet?"

"With you on
our team? We can't lose."

"Mister
O'Connell, I've just realized that you haven't said a single
insulting thing to me in over three hours."

"Must be a new
record."

"Do you know,
if this sort of thing keeps up, we might actually get to be friends!"

"Scary
thought."

"By the way...
thank you for saving my life, when we were on the barge."

"Oh. Sure. And,
uh, likewise. Any time."

"I may hold you
to that..."

"I wouldn't be
surprised."

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